Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Texas Christian University, has appointed Michael Kruger, Ph.D., dean for the College of Science & Engineering, the second-largest college at TCU.
Kruger has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Dakota since 2017, overseeing 17 departments and nine centers and institutes. Previously he was associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2013 to 2017.
At the University of South Dakota College of Arts and Sciences, Kruger increased cash reserves seven-fold and reduced the annual budget deficit by half. He secured more than $2 million in development efforts and facilitated a 38% increase in research funding. He established the Department of Sustainability and Environment; initiated new majors in neuroscience, biomedical engineering and legal studies; and introduced new certificate programs in professional ethics, forensic anthropology, professional writing and medicine and culture.
“Dean Kruger’s experience, background, leadership and innovation will be an advantage for the TCU College of Science & Engineering as it continues its trajectory to being a national leader in research, teaching, and student engagement,” Dahlberg said.
“I am drawn to the TCU College of Science & Engineering's commitment to impactful programs that integrate knowledge and experience through service and cooperative learning, research, internships, international study and civic engagement,” Kruger said. “The best measure of a college’s greatness is the quality of its faculty and staff because they shape the student experience. I am honored to join this group of dedicated individuals. It is an exciting time for science and engineering at TCU, since the answers to many of the world’s pressing issues lie in innovation and discovery.”
In addition to overseeing faculty, staff and students, Kruger’s focus as dean will include catalyzing the College of Science & Engineering’s externally funded research, inclusive excellence, student success and academic excellence.
Kruger earned his Ph.D. and MA in physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and his BS in physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He attended the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership Education in 2019. He has served as the Lohre Distinguished Professor of the Department of Physics at the University of South Dakota since 2017.
Kruger will begin his tenure as dean May 28, 2021, upon the retirement of Phil Hartman, Ph.D., who has served as dean of the TCU College of Science & Engineering since 2012.